St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-11-28
THE TOMB OF NAPOLEON.
A Queer Story That the EmperOr's
Remains Are at Chiselhurst.

| France was in state of intense ex-
element a few days ago because lie
Gaulois published few lines to this
| effect: THE tomb of the Invalides is
empty. The remains of the Emperor
Napoleon |. have been stolen by sacri-
| legious hands and scattered to the four
Winds" How has such Il PROCLAMATION
been accomplished? When did it take
| place? How has it been proven? says
| the Baroness Salvador in Il recent letter
| from Paris.
Figaro Immediately replied that the
story was hoax, and related an inter
! view with Gen. Sumpt, governor of the
| lnvalideS. He has guarded the tomb Of
| the emperor for the past line years. and
| declares the story false i'll every detail.
I'm the first place." said the old hero.
| before robbers could enter the crypt
| they must have OvcrthrOwn a marble
| balustrade and broken two bronze
| doors. The cover of the coffin is of
| porphyry and weighs $4,000 pounds;
it is fastened by bronze hinges,
| and to raise this immense block
at least fifteen workmen would be
| obliged to labor for days, not with sim
| pie tools, but with complicated scaffOld-
| ing, pulleyS, ropes, etc. Since Napoleon
was buried i'll the Invalides not work
man has entered the crypt. Even during
| the commune not an attempt was made
to violate the emperOr's tomb. NapO-
| Icons ashes repoSe on the banks of the
Seine in the midst of the French people
| he so much loved"
After this interview the French ma
ton was satisfied that since May I, 1861,
when the body of the emperor was
placed in the marble sarcophaguS in the
presence of Napoleon Ill, Prince
Jerome and the dignitarieS of state,
mot workman had entered the crypt"
This belief was shaken when LeGaulois.
not willing to be accused of hOaXing the
public, announced the existence of
documents proving its statement. A
parsonage who had a conspicuous role
in the administration sent this journal
the duplicate of these PIT important
documents. From these it is discovered
that Napoleon III. appointed secret
commission charged with accounting
for the absence of the ashes of NapO-
leon |. at the moment of opening the
coffin in the Chapel st. Jerome, and
that Marshal Valiant represented to
Napoleon Ill, April %. 1861, report
proving the absence of the ashes.
The GaulOiS added that the original
COPY OF this confidential affair was
placed in the hands of the grand chan
cellor of the Legion of Honor; but, as
the archives of the chancellerie were
burned during the commune, no one
had ever heard of the mysterious dOcu-
meat.
While these searches are made re-
member a conversation | had some time
ago with friend of the Emperor Ma
pOleon Ill. Said he: ''When the en-
peror's remains shall he removed from
Chiselhurst to Marlborough you will
hear something very curious with ref
erence to the ashes of Napoleon I'LL"
Then he told me long history, pledg-
ing me to secrecy until the proper time
should come for the revelation of these
facts. During the last two years of his
reign" said my informant, Napoleon
Ill. became fervent disciple of spirit
ualiSm. When he first thought of war
with Prussia he went incOgnito to the
InvalideS every day and there invoked
the spirit of the great conquer0r. When
he took command of his troops he
wished to have some tangible relic of
his hero beside him, something that
would compel the spirits of the Ma
pOleOn to answer his call. By stealth at
night the ashes of Napoleon were taken
from the Invalides, placed in portable
box and General Fleury and l were the
only ones who knew that the conquerOr
of Jena accompanied his nephew in all
the battles of the Franco-Prussian war.
One of the causes of the disaster of the
Sedan was the fact that in moving the
emperor's baggage the fetch had gone
astray. Disheartened because of this
calamity, Napoleon surrendered at once.
Afterwards it was found that the box,
so dear to Napoleon I'LL, had passed
the Belgian frontier and from there it
was sent to England. know it was the
emperor'S wish that this fetch should
be buried beside him and feel confident
that Napoleon l. now lies at Chisel-
h1,rct